A day of sightseeing in London costs an average of £118.37, making the capital the fifth most expensive city in Europe for a day out, according to new research.
The figure covers two meals, drinks, public transport and entry to a top attraction, and puts a day in the capital well above the £100 daily budget often recommended for comfortable travel.
The ranking comes from a study by travel insurer InsureandGo, which compared the cost of a typical day out across more than 120 European cities.
Reykjavik in Iceland tops the list as Europe’s priciest city at £145.33 a day. It is followed by three Swiss cities — Zurich (£132.11), Basel (£125.12) and Bern (£121.22) — with London fifth on £118.37.
The average day out across Europe costs £78, the research found, but the range is enormous. Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia, is the cheapest city surveyed at just £28.80 — less than a quarter of the London total.
London is not the only British city to break the £100 barrier. Edinburgh (£104.45), Bristol (£103.80) and Liverpool (£101.29) all exceed it, while Manchester (£98.75) and Brighton (£98.36) sit just below. Coventry is the most affordable UK city in the study at £67.64 a day.
Mellisa Hutchins, travel cover specialist at InsureandGo, said the findings showed a £100 daily budget still covered a full day of eating out and sightseeing across most of Europe, with some central European cities costing around half that amount.
She urged travellers to plan their budgets before they go, check local prices for food and drink, seek out free attractions and make the most of public transport — while warning against cutting back on travel insurance, since unexpected medical bills or cancellations could easily wipe out a holiday budget.
The study highlights how far money stretches elsewhere. Belgrade offers free public transport. In Skopje, the cheapest entry to a top attraction is a £1.39 cable car ride up to the Millennium Cross. In Chisinau, a return journey on public transport costs as little as 60p.
Sarajevo serves up some of the continent’s best value: lunch averages £6.59 and a three-course dinner £15.36, while the city’s Baščaršija quarter blends Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian architecture for little more than the cost of getting there.
The cheapest cities in the ranking are Chisinau (£35.52), Sarajevo (£38.52), Tirana (£44.96), Belgrade (£46.99), Braşov (£47.23) and Poznań (£47.51). For travellers chasing warmer weather, Porto (£53.65) is the best-value option, with Alicante (£55.28) and Málaga (£55.44) close behind.
For Londoners, the figures are a reminder of how quickly a day in the capital adds up — from getting around, with Silvertown and Blackwall tunnel tolls having risen and an overnight visitor levy under discussion, to eating and drinking out. But the bill can be trimmed: a new £9 Thames sightseeing pass opens up the river’s landmarks cheaply, and budget-friendly pub options abound.
Europe’s priciest days out
| Rank | City | Cost of a day out |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reykjavik, Iceland | £145.33 |
| 2 | Zurich, Switzerland | £132.11 |
| 3 | Basel, Switzerland | £125.12 |
| 4 | Bern, Switzerland | £121.22 |
| 5 | London, UK | £118.37 |
Europe’s cheapest days out
| City | Cost of a day out |
|---|---|
| Skopje, North Macedonia | £28.80 |
| Chisinau, Moldova | £35.52 |
| Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina | £38.52 |
| Tirana, Albania | £44.96 |
| Belgrade, Serbia | £46.99 |
How the ranking was calculated
InsureandGo based its figures on the cost of a typical tourist’s day out: two meals, drinks, public transport and entry to a leading attraction, with prices compared in more than 120 cities across Europe.
Cutting the cost of a London day out
- Go free: many of London’s best museums and galleries cost nothing to enter.
- Use public transport: it is far cheaper than taxis or driving and parking in central London.
- Plan ahead: check prices for food, drink and attractions before you travel.
- Try the river: the new £9 Thames sightseeing pass is a bargain way to see the landmarks.
- Don’t skip insurance: unexpected bills can wipe out any savings, so keep comprehensive cover.
